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GREEN GRASS Q3.196-8, Q4.32, Q9.55, Q23.55-6

The grass is always greener on the other side. Could it be an illusion? Our friend’s wife seems prettier than ours; his house is definitely more tastefully furnished. Our neighbour’s house is larger than ours. Our former classmate’s children are better behaved; her lashes are longer; his beard is fuller. Our brother’s hairline is better, our sister’s oval face smoother…

We are constantly comparing ourselves with and struggling to be better than others. Their lives seem perfect because of their larger homes and prettier wives. We forget that ‘All that glitters is not gold’ and that ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’. We neglect the fact that though his wife seems prettier, ours’ is better-mannered; that the bigger home has been burgled more than any other house on the street. We forget that our cosy homes engender closeness and that our children are more entertaining and have memorised more of the Qur’an than their peers. Most of all, we disremember how fortunate we are and how others wish they could be in our shoes. Are we not self-employed with a thriving business? Yet we envy those bankers in shiny suits who wish to be like us.

We should always thank Allah for the privilege of being Muslims and envy people in only what is truly important like memorisation of the Qur’an, eloquence in da’awah, giving charity, knowledge of Islam, etc.

‘Always look to those above you for the deen and those below you for the dunya (worldly things)’- Prophet Muhammad (SAW).